Request for Mozilla Position on an Emerging Web Specification Specification Title: Web Environment Integrity API Specification or proposal URL (if available): https://rupertbenwiser.github.io/Web-E...
I feel like I've been forced to switch a lot of my default applications lately based on shitty decisions from tone deaf companies. I guess I'm going to move from Brave to Firefox finally.
Why did you chose Brave to begin with? Serious question, not being snarky. I tried it for a day and it just didn't compete with Firefox + uBlock Origin in any meaningful way. I don't see the appeal of bundling advanced security and filtering tools with the browser, it's better if they're separate entities, keeps everyone honest.
I've taught multiple people in my life to use brave. The vast majority of end users simply can't be bothered to install a plugin or understand how to manage it when a site breaks. Brave makes it just a little more intuitive for them and means less IT calls for me. Firefox with ublock is what I personally use. Brave is what my family uses.
Even if I go along that line of thought, few years ago when I was using Chrome it started scanning my computer without any notice, causing the fan to run hard.
I stopped using that creepy POS immediately and switched to Firefox. Never again a browser can just make a decision to scan my computer to "protect" me from whatever.
If this DRM can force you to use Chromium to display a webpage or content, that would be the most anticompetitive thing in recent times, and would absolutely not fly.
Yeah, the sad thing here is that if Apple comply, it will basically become a standard and there's nothing that Firefox or anything else can do about it. If they can get it on iPhone, it's game over. Half the web will be blocked unless you agree to see adverts.
I have limited understanding of the technical side of this issue, but based on this comment, this sounds like a brilliant move by Google - Don't like the rules of the game, change the game...
Edit: for clarification, this comment was very tongue in cheek - I don't support Google, this was just an acknowledgement of a smart business play.
Can someone explain to me the google API and DRM situation in stupid people terms? I’m stupidly tech illiterate but I know that this is a big deal and I would like to understand
Sure thing. With this current proposal, when you visit a website, the site asks your browser if you're willing to display it as intended, basically with all and any adverts. If the answer is no, then you can't see the content, if the answer is yes, then you're likely using Chrome or a Chromium based browser and Google can guarantee more ad impressions, because they're first and foremost an advert selling company.
I may not be 100% right, as I haven't looked at it in detail, but I think it's even a bit more than that. Since the way that's proven is by the browser vendor signing the request (I assume with an HTTP header or something), you could also verify it's from a specific vendor. So even if Mozilla says, yes, we'll display your ads, a website could still lock down to Chrome. It would probably also significantly hamper new browsers, and browsers with a security/anti-ad focus, as they won't be recognised by major websites that use the new protocol until they have market share, which they won't get if they don't have access to major websites.
I bet you heard about safetynet on android devices. It is a service that checks if you run a genuine licensed not-modified version of android. If not - app developer can just restrict you access to the app. It is mostly used by banking apps, but there're many examples of not security critical apps utilize this.
Google wants to do the same but for browsers and websites. If you run firefox or modified chrome or use adblocks: youtube, twitter, etc. would be able to detect it and can restrict access to the website.
if they dont like your browser you cant view the site , ultimately its gonna be google who will be deciding what conditions your browser has to fulfill to be approved and the big one they wont say outright is adblockers , if you have an adblocker they will not allow you to veiw the site
if they dont like your browser you cant view the site , ultimately its gonna be google who will be deciding what conditions your browser has to fulfill to be approved and the big one they wont say outright is adblockers , if you have an adblocker they will not allow you to veiw the site
They try to present it as "detecting abuse", but it's literally just "allow servers to block non-verified browers"(in other words google blocking access to their services for non-chrome users(the people proposing it work for google)).
And as always these types of asshats always shit all over anyone using accessbility tools(or don't even consider them in the first place, which amounts to the same thing).
I still don't get where this proposal originated. It looks like a random user, what's their connection to Google and why do we believe it's even under consideration by the organisation?
No organisations put things through in giant blazing neon letters. One employee quietly pushes a bit, another a different bit and ten bits later we're all like, WTF?
Google has been trying to ensure they can serve everyone ads for a while. There's a reason the author of uBlock clearly states that the Chrome version isn't as good.
I miss old Google that refused to use anything but small text boxes for advertising. Shit, I saw they actually put an ad in the search history drop-down of the Play Store app now.
You get to Google pretty quickly by following links. If you look at the top of the linked issue, it links to a few things owned by Rupert Ben Wiser. If you follow the explainer link, you get this list of authors:
Authors:
Ben Wiser (Google)
Borbala Benko (Google)
Philipp Pfeiffenberger (Google)
Sergey Kataev (Google)
And in the repo, he says it's being prototyped in Chromium.
That's all written by him though, so I guess he could just be lying and making up names. So I tried looking up his name, to see if he's listed anywhere as a Google employee, but the best I could find is he's listed as a Google employee since 2022 on Facebook and LinkedIn. And he doesn't have much on his Github. (I kinda feel a little stalkery now... Don't harass anyone please). So either this is an elaborate, very late, April fool's or he's probably the fall guy for whatever exec actually thought this up.
I wasn't really doubting that he was a Google employee, rather more questioning whether the corporation (bare in mind it's huge) is aware of his efforts and this is on their immediate roadmap. It could just be a bunch of employees trying something about/proposing it internally and it might get shot down.
But I take the other commenter's point that this is how it begins
That's as true as it is irrelevant. I don't think I've heard anyone say chrome isn't a great browser or chromium isn't good - it's the control Google has over it that everyone has a problem with